One of the public faces of contemporary literary scholarship in Africa, the reasons why Professor Nwachukwu-Agbada maintains an exulted status in African literary criticism range from his awesome prolificity to his incisive and indepth consideration of the most germane issues in African literature. In this interview, he handles in characteristic manner some of those issues.

It was a gathering of eminent personalities at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) Victoria Island venue of the public presentation of the book, Tenants of the House written by Dr. Wale Okediran, a medical practitioner, writer, politician and former ANA president and former member of the House of Representatives as his friends, associates and lovers of book converged for the sole purpose of identifying with a worthy cause.

Late Afrobeat master, Fela Anikulapo Kuti had something mystical about his very engaging musical career. This mysticism that defined the life and musical times of Fela popularly addressed as Abam eda has given birth to all kinds of scholarly investigations both by scholars of popular culture and scholars of music, who through their different accounts try to unravel the Fela mystique.

Energetic and high-spirited, the fact that she was AWF’s Guest Writer on January 30, 2010 couldn’t have escaped the attention of anyone who walked into the venue as a first time attendee. Eugenia would easily have been picked out from the teeming crowd as she greeted guests and passed compliments at friends; who gathered at the Pen and Pages Bookstore, Abuja venue of the event.

Humans are visual creatures. We devour graphic information to feed our senses, and most of the times we enjoy it. Lately, videos, photographs and illustrations full of shock values are flooding the globe. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then buckle up.

After a very exciting and successful 2009 literary season which featured readings by national and international writers, creative writing workshops, weekly critique sessions and an acclaimed and widely patronized national literary contest, the precocious Abuja Writers’ Forum (AWF) is set to kick-start its 2010 literary calendar with a trio of writers billed for the First Quarter Guest Writer Session.

The recent attempt by a Nigerian youngster, Farouk Abdulmutallab, to bomb an American Delta airline on December 25, 2009 has no doubt brought Nigeria in confrontation with world power, USA. The commotion has even resulted in former American attaché to USA embassy in Nigeria, Ambassador, Princeton Lyman telling Nigeria that it is fast becoming irrelevant in the world.

It is now five months since the issue of looted African terracotta was raised in connection with the exhibition entitled “African Terra Cotta: a Millenary Heritage”, at the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva and brought to the attention of all concerned. A group of renowned scholars alleged that many of the objects on display had been looted from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.

In his book, Cyprian Ekwensi, Ernest Emenyonu captures aspects of Ekwensi’s disposition to film in the 1950s. For instance, beyond revealing how Ekwensi “wrote and broadcast plays and stories for the BBC Overseas Service” , Emenyonu demonstrates how “once in 1954 his voice was ‘dubbed’ on to the sound track of the film Man of Africa, which was shown at the Venice Film Festival that year” .

I MUST begin my review of this complex work with the profession of disconcertion. All through my experience of life, the assumption has always been that people got assigned intellectual jobs on the incontrovertible basis of their ability to deliver.

BY MCPHILIPS NWACHUKWU ONE strong achievement of last week’s media meeting designed as part of activities marking the 70th year birth anniversary of thespian scholar, Pa Dapo Adelugba was the fact that the celebrant belongs to one of the privileged Nigerians, whose enviable lives make interesting profiling business. From every available revelations, Dapo Adelugba has […]

After a successful hosting of one of the greatest photo exhibitions of the year tagged “Perspectives on Contemporary Nigerian Photography recently, the Ben Enwonwu Foundation (BEF) owners of Omenka Art Gallery again in its bid towards the promotion and appreciation of Modern African art penultimate week brought the visual art community together for another exciting exhibition by one of Nigeria’s outstanding contemporary artists, Alex Nwokolo titled Musing: an exhibition of recent paintings by Alex Nwokolo.

One of Nigerian foremost scholars, Prof Charles Nnolim, in one of his presentations said that “Nigeria does not honour its intellectuals, rather Nigerians are only known for honouring politicians and soldiers, that is why many Nigerian great scholars are not named after some streets in Abuja.”

TRUE to his words, the streets of Abuja are now wearing carnival looks in readiness for the 2009 Abuja Carnival beginning from November 21 through 24. Earlier at his first media meeting with culture and tourism journalists in Lagos, the newly appointed creative director of this year’s Abuja Carnival, Professor Ojo Bakare had promised that his leadership of the carnival team would transform the hosting of the national festival to what he described as “a street party”, which according to him, carnival is all about.

THE illustrated Things Fall Apart produced in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Chinua’s Achebe’s classic novel will be the star attraction at a formal presentation ceremony to be held on November 17. The event which will take place in Lagos will be chaired by HRM Igwe Nnaemeka, Obi of Onitsha with renowned playwright, Wole Soyinka being the special guest of honour among other notable personalities in the art and literary world and beyond.